Thread by @historykenya101

Even in death controversy stalked politician Masinde Muliro.

It was August of 1992. Kenya’s first multiparty elections under Moi were around the corner.

***Thread***

Masinde Muliro was Vice Chairman of the Forum For Restoration Of Democracy (FORD), a party that many Kenyans believed stood a chance of ousting Moi from the presidency.

On the 14th of August that year, Muliro arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from London. Shortly after he had gone through the motions at Immigration, he collapsed and died.

Addressing a battery of journalists in the city centre six hours later, Muliro’s family physician Dr. Arthur Obel, who was flanked by senior police officers, disclosed that the politician had died of cardiac arrest.

Then the conspiracy theories started.

FORD Chair Oginga Odinga called for proper investigations into Muliro’s death, wondering who was behind the “hastily convened” press conference.This happened just about the same time as Dr. Obel angrily dismissed threats by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dental Council.

There was further public intrigue when it was reported that former powerful cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott was on the same flight as Muliro.

But Biwott denied having anything to do with the death. The two had met at Heathrow Airport and exchanged pleasantries, before separately proceeding to board the plane. That was it, Biwott protested, adding that theirs was a “friendly chat”.

Meanwhile, Muliro’s wife said she was opposed to a post-mortem being carried out on her late husband’s body. Sections of the media reported that she did not want her husband’s body “cut”.

The late Masinde Muliro attended university in apartheid South Africa, enrolling at the University of Cape Town for a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, History and Political Philosophy.

He then enrolled for a Masters degree in Political Science at the same university. He could have completed the degree if it wasn’t for the son of Kimilili attacking the white apartheid regime in his thesis.

I wonder if the treatment he got in South Africa is the reason why, on his return to Kenya with a native South African wife, Mercia (pictured), he, like most black South Africans, ditched his English names.

Before that, his full name was Henry Pius Masinde Muliro.